During Alabama’s opening week win over USC, Barnett lost his job to freshman Jalen Hurts. Hurts has since run away with the gig and made it his own, while Barnett and junior Cooper Bateman have been relegated to backup status.

It makes sense that Barnett would bolt now and look for an opportunity to start elsewhere. He’s just a redshirt freshman, so he has plenty of time left to make his mark on college football. He was the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the 247Sports rankings in 2015 and the No. 21 player overall. There will be schools clamoring for his commitment.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Barnett head back out West to be closer to home. Though he’ll have to sit out next season per NCAA transfer rules, several schools could use another quarterback, including USC and UCLA.

Ryan Phillips

Ryan is a San Diego-based blogger who is a 10-year veteran of the sports writing world. He holds a journalism degree from Indiana University (yes he left San Diego for Bloomington, Indiana voluntarily). He has no pets and a crippling addiction to HBOGo.